CITY REGENERATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES. CASE STUDY: SKOPJE

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CITY REGENERATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES.CASE
STUDY SKOPJE

• The Creative City Crossing Visions and New
  Realities in the Region
• 8-14 May 2006, IUC, Dubrovnik

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Introduction

• Planners and policy makers have regarded culture
  simply as a resource to be exploited, rather than
  a critical and creative force that questions ways
  of thinking and working and which could inspire
  a fresh approach to urban planning and policy
  (Franco Bianchini).
• A culture of creativity needs to be included
  into policy-making at a city level which
  facilitates cooperation between artists and
  architects planners and the public, for without a
  cultural dimension can a city be revitalised?
  (ibid).

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Skopje The political, economic and social image
of the city

• Political image Pluralism, Multicultural City,
  divided into ten (10) municipalities
• Economy approximately 36 of the Macedonian
  private sector and industry are located in Skopje
  
• Demography 66,75 Macedonian, 20,95 Albanians,
  4,63 Roma, 2,82 Serbs, 1,7 Turks, and the rest
  of Vlachs, Bosnian and others

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Skopje The political, economic and social image
of the city
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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjePUBLIC SECTOR

• National Cultural Policy- Priorities
• Decentralisation
• Balanced support for the cultural heritage and
  the new developments in the contemporary society
  
• Improvement of the management in the culture
• Affirmation of the cultural identities of the
  minorities
• Cooperation with the non-governmental sector
• International cooperation and cooperation with
  the neighbouring countries

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjePUBLIC SECTOR

• Local Cultural Policy- Skopje
• Instrument Programme for the Cultural Activities
  of the City of Skopje
• To secure an active position of the City of
  Skopje towards meeting the needs and interests of
  the citizens in culture area
• Preservation and affirmation of both the material
  and spiritual cultural heritage of the City of
  Skopje
• Preservation and affirmation of the cultural
  identity of the City of Skopje
• Creation of conditions for quality cultural life,
  in compliance with the Statute of the City of
  Skopje as the capital of the Republic of
  Macedonia and a separate local self-government
  unit

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjePUBLIC SECTOR

• Promotion and support of new ideas and projects
  that affirm the City of Skopje as a developed
  cultural centre with European characteristics and
  with recognizable character
• Presentation and affirmation of the creators,
  interpreters and the institutions from the
  cultural sphere, both in the country and abroad
• Intensification and enrichment of the
  international cultural cooperation.

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjePUBLIC SECTOR

• Local Cultural Policy- Skopje Financing
• The funds invested () in Culture from the budget
  of the City of Skopje for the period 2002-2006
• .
• The total amount of the planned budget for the
  City of Skopje for 2006 is 22 million Euros

2002 4.72
2003 0.27
2004 0.35
2005 0.37
2006 (planned) 1.78
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Mapping the cultural scene in Skopje

• National cultural institutions (24)
• Local cultural institutions (8)
• Independent cultural non governmental and not
  for profit organizations (approx. 20)
• Private companies (approx. 40)

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Mapping the cultural scene in SkopjeMacedonian
National Theater
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Mapping the cultural scene in SkopjeMuseum of
The City of Skopje
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Mapping the cultural scene in Skopje Skopje Jazz
Festival
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Mapping the cultural scene in Skopje by field

• Performing Arts
• Libraries
• Cinemas and cinematographic activities
• Museums and art galleries
• Music and stage performance related activities

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Outlining the problem areas of the national and
local cultural institutions in Skopje

• The existing infrastructure is in a poor shape
• There are weaknesses in the general management of
  cultural institutions
• There is an extremely poor human resource
  management
• There is a general lack of availability and use
  of the new technologies to an extent that most of
  the cultural institutions do not have a
  functioning web page

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Outlining the problem areas of the national and
local cultural institutions in Skopje

• Isolation insufficient attention is paid to the
  networking with other institutions from the
  country and the region
• There is a hardly adequate partnerships with the
  other two sectors the private sector and the NGO
  sector
• There is insufficient inclusion of the culture
  related topics in the regular curricula at
  schools and universities
• The inadequate cultural policy only accentuates
  all the above

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Mapping the cultural scene in Skopje by field

• Cultural industries
• Publishing
• Music
• Film
• Internet
• Media (12 daily newspapers, 21 weeklies, 10
  biweeklies, 21 children magazines, five
  commercial and three public television channels
  on national level, 50 television channels on
  local level, one satellite (public) television
  channel, one public radio on national level,
  three commercial radio stations, 29 local public
  radio stations, 65 local commercial radio
  stations in Macedonia out of which 18 are located
  in Skopje)
• Advertising
• Architecture and urban planning
• Cultural heritage and cultural tourism

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjeNGO SECTOR

• The main characteristics of the NGOs that work in
  the cultural area
• NGOs employ well educated personnel and show high
  degree of professionalism in their work
• They are creative generators with new
  initiatives
• They work in compliance with the basic codes for
  human rights and democracy
• They represents centres of excellence especially
  in the areas of knowledge transfer and know-how
• They often have charismatic leaders

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjeNGO SECTOR

• They show excellent abilities for fundraising and
  survival
• They organize citizens initiatives and foster
  openness and dialogue
• They pursue the application of the new
  technologies
• They show communicativeness on all levels
• They show transparency on all levels
• They encourage and help mobility
• They produce quality cultural products, often
  achieved in a short period of time and with very
  small amounts of money
• They establish and maintain international
  communications
• They network with regional (the Balkan) and
  international networks

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjeNGO SECTOR

• Problems and weaknesses that characterize the
  NGOs in the cultural sector in Macedonia,
• There is a problem with the long-term
  sustainability of the NGOs
• Sponsorship in the culture is still a grey area
  there is no new legislations, currently a draft
  of a new document is a process of a public
  debate
• There are insufficient coalitions and
  partnerships among the NGOs
• There is an absence of quality contacts and
  cooperation with the business sector
• Entrepreneurship as an alternative for
  self-financing is underdeveloped
• There is visible feeling of superiority by NGOs
  in respect to the other institutions (often the
  NGOs think that without them the world will
  collapse).

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
SkopjePRIVATE SECTOR

• Relationship between the business sector and
  culture is characterized by the following
• Inconsistency of the relationship
• Nepotism and political influence
• Insufficient communication between these two
  sectors
• Insufficient interest in the cultural activities
  by the business sector
• Insufficient information-sharing between the two
  sectors
• Unresolved questions inside the framework for the
  proposed (new) Law on Sponsorships in the
  Culture

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Mapping the sectors in the cultural arena in
Skopje.New Challenges

• Strengthening of the capacities of the existing
  cultural institutions
• Strengthening of the inter-sectoral cooperation
  on a city level
• Creation of an favourable climate for the
  establishment of partnerships among the public,
  the private and the NGO sectors
• Encouragement of active citizen status and social
  inclusion of all citizens
• Encouragement of the diversification of
  programmes and cultural activities in the city
• Creation of new urban cultural spaces
• Improved functioning of the public
  administration
• Creation of conditions for an improved mapping of
  the culture as an important segment in the
  general arrangement of the city
• Development of cultural industries.

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Past achievements and new cultural initiatives in
Skopje

1. The PAC Multimedia carried out a project Civil
   Initiative in Determination of Possible Strategy
   on Cultural Development in the Republic of
   Macedonia
2. Reconstruction of the medieval Fortress Kale
3. Revitalization of the Centre of Skopje (old
   bridge, city square)
4. Revitalization of the cultural monuments OLD
   Skopje Bazaar for the period 2004- 2009
5. MALA STANICA- Multimedia Centre
6. Reconstruction of the Old Theatre
7. Construction of the New Concert Hall
8. Digitalization of the Cultural Heritage

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Past achievements and new cultural initiatives in
Skopje- PAC MULTIMEDIA INITIATIVES
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Past achievements and new cultural initiatives in
Skopje- Revitalization of the Centre of Skopje
(old bridge, city square)
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Past achievements and new cultural initiatives in
Skopje- Revitalization of the Old Bazaar
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Past achievements and new cultural initiatives in
Skopje- Cultural Centre MALA STANICA
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Past achievements and new cultural initiatives in
Skopje - Digitalization of the Cultural Heritage
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Challenges and objectives for a cultural future

• There is a need for a strategic planning in the
  culture and especially recognition of the
  significance of the planning processes
• There is a need for the social integration of the
  artists, the public, the facilities and the
  decision-makers in a system of equal
  participation
• Decentralisation on many levels should be carried
  out from the centre to the periphery, from
  renown (and secure) cultural facilities towards
  the new, the alternative, and the old and
  abandoned ones
• The National Strategy for Information Society
  should favour the digitalisation of the cultural
  heritage and development of digital libraries as
  well as the introduction of new technologies in
  the education, science and culture
• Creation of networks (community networks) for the
  urban regeneration should be one of the
  priorities

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Challenges and objectives for a cultural future

• Development of a public space policy should be
  initiated
• A sound Law for Sponsorships of the Public
  Activities should be created and adopted
• Citizens associations on various levels in the
  local self-government should be encouraged
• Social exclusion should be fought at local level
• A partnerships for the regeneration of the rural
  areas should be formed with the local
  communities
• Strengthening of the cultural industries
  especially the ones connected with the revival of
  the traditional crafts and old trades, and
  development of the cultural tourism on a local
  level should be one of the priorities
• The management of the cultural wealth and
  generally culture must be improved in order to
  achieve all the above objectives

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Challenges and objectives for a cultural future-
Recommendation of the Council of Europe

• The Ministry of Culture needs to prepare a
  document that will define the long-term
  objectives for the cultural policy
• Changes in the legislation should be made in
  order to decrease the Ministers decision-making
  power
• The Ministry needs to initiate and foster the
  establishment of a market for the cultural
  products
• The use of the cultural centres should be
  redefined
• The Ministry needs to actively lobby at other
  state sectors as well at the private sector for
  the protection of the culture and cultural
  heritage
• The financial support given to some of the
  festivals should be rationalized
• The Ministry needs to stimulate the development
  of the a variety of repertoires in the theatres
• Campaigns should be initiated for the increase of
  the role of the media in culture

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Conclusions

• At the end, it appears that things do move in
  the positive direction mainly due to the increase
  of the joint action by all sectors.
• Municipal authorities should recognize the
  role culture plays in economic revitalization and
  in addressing current multiethnic and
  multicultural realities, as well as recognize the
  contribution culture can make to social
  integration and emancipation.

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Conclusions

• Any cultural policy created in future should
  entail supporting more than the high arts and
  local governments should begin to be interested
  in popular and youth culture and in the cultural
  industries.

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Conclusions

• Only through cooperation and understanding
  between all the players involved and a creation
  and a development of strategies for cultural
  industries, that build alliances between business
  and culture, an effective cultural policy can be
  created and implemented, a policy that will mean
  a better cultural future for not only Skopje but
  also for Macedonia.

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• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION